As is well known, inflatable boats are commonly utilized for sporting and recreational activities both in the United States and in foreign countries. Such inflatable boats oftentimes prove advantageous to rigid hull boats due to their reduced weight and cost as well as their ability to be stowed in a compact configuration and thereby be readily transported to a desired, even remote location for use. Such prior art inflatable boats have generally incorporated either a fixed bench seat or an inflatable movable seat for accommodating the user or users within the interior of the inflatable boat.
The prior art bench seats have typically comprised a wooden plank which extends transversely across the top of the tubular side walls of the inflatable boat being affixed thereto by way of releasable fasteners such as hook and loop (brand name) fasteners or alternatively affixed to plural cleats or straps formed on the tubular side walls of the boat. As such, the prior art bench seats are positionable only in fixed locations upon the inflatable boat and thereby cannot readily accommodate differing seating locations or positions desired for proper single and/or multiple occupant use of the inflatable boat. Further, such wooden bench seat construction is susceptible to degradation caused by prolonged exposure to environmental conditions.
The prior art inflatable seats generally comprise lightweight rectangular air cushions which may be placed at any desired position within the interior of the inflatable boat. However, such prior art inflatable seats typically fail to provide sufficient support for the user within the inflatable boat, and oftentimes move relative to the boat during use, thereby posing a possible safety hazard to the user. In addition, such inflatable seats, if not sat upon by a user during boating applications, possess a high tendency of becoming jettisoned from the inflatable boat requiring retrieval by the user.
As such, there exists a substantial need in the art for an improved seat for an inflatable boat that may be positioned at any location within the inflatable boat to readily accommodate both single and/or multiple occupant use; provides firm, rigid support for the occupant users and is securely retained within the inflatable boat throughout use so as not to inadvertently jettisoned therefrom.